EFFECT OF TILLAGE PRACTICES AND MUSTARD BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS ON SOIL QUALITY IN DRYLANDS
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Date
2021-12
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Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu
Abstract
A study was carried out to assess the short-term impact of different tillage practices and cropping systems on soil physico-chemical and biological properties, and soil quality under dryland conditions. The study was conducted in already existing permanent experimental plot after four years of field experiment comprising of 12 treatments arranged in split plot design with three replications. Three tillage systems i.e., conventional tillage (CT), raised beds (RB) and zero tillage (ZT) were employed in the main plot with four mustard-based cropping systems i.e., Mustard-Green gram, Mustard-Pearl millet, Mustard-Sesamum, and Mustard-Maize arranged in sub-plots. The experiment had been laid at Advanced Centre for Rainfed Agriculture since rabi season of 2016-17 and for this study, soil samples were taken from two depths i.e., 0-15 and 15-30 cm after rabi crop of 2019-20 in the month of July 2020. The results revealed a decrease in the values of different soil parameters with increasing depth except for bulk density (BD) and pH. Among different treatments, organic carbon (OC) exhibited a slight increase with the highest value obtained under ZT (4.5 g kg-1) and green gram (4.9 g kg-1), respectively. However, the effect of different treatments on OC was non-significant. The available nitrogen (N) in the surface soil depth (0-15 cm) amongst the treatments, showed significant results with the highest value under ZT (168.1 kg ha-1) and green gram (169.1 kg ha-1). Available potassium (K) in the surface soil (0-15 cm) under tillage practices with ZT showed a significant difference. Highest soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) was observed under ZT (35.4 g kg-1) showing significant difference in 0-15 cm soil depth. Significant difference in bulk density was noticed among tillage treatments in 0-15 cm soil depth, with ZT exhibiting the maximum BD (1.44 Mg m-3). Principle component analysis (PCA) identified SMBC, clay content, pH, and silt content as the most sensitive indicators for soil quality index (SQI). The tillage practices showed significant difference with ZT contributing the most to the SQI. The present study provided reliable indicators to monitor soil quality changes in response to tillage and cropping systems. Conservation agricultural practices with leguminous cropping system could be chosen as an effective measure to improve fertility of soils in drylands.
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Preferred for your work Kour, T. and Kour, S. 2021. Effect of Tillage Practices and Mustard Based Cropping Systems on Soil Quality in Drylands. M.Sc. Thesis, Sher-Kashmir